Verbal Battle

Watching Whiteside struggle on the court as points kept slipping away, Spo reluctantly called a timeout.

"Listen, we need to change tactics. Don't extend so far. Trap Westbrook, and West is responsible for guarding Chris Chen. Everyone else, shrink as usual. You can leave Grant open. Improve rim protection. And Hassan, don't jump so easily. Stick to Domantas and give him body—that's enough! I'll repeat myself! Don't jump! Stop thinking about your damn blocks!"

With insufficient defensive resources, Spo could only pick between two poisoned cups, hoping not to get killed by the poison.

While Spo was setting up tactics, Donovan wasn't idle either. Westbrook's regular rotation time was approaching, so he chose to let Oladipo handle the ball, slot Morrow into the 2-guard spot, and move Chen Xi to the 3. While maintaining a five-out lineup, he set up several pick-and-roll plays at the top.

The Thunder's guard line had plenty of bodies, but few could offer tactical value. Morrow and the others were different from Chen Xi—being able to hit threes and being able to run three-point plays were two separate things. A shooter who couldn't provide tactical value wasn't much different from a non-spacing option.

Chen Xi's excellent off-ball movement combined with precise catch-and-shoot made him far more adaptable to the team's tactics than other shooters. In comparison, Payne and others preferred shooting off the dribble, but unfortunately, their efficiency with the ball was far inferior to Westbrook and Odie.

"The game resumes. Let's see what adjustments both coaches make."

When Chen Xi returned to the court, he clearly felt Spo's love. West came with a mission, sticking tight to him off the ball and frequently tugging at his jersey, which greatly affected his movement.

But fortunately, he was subbed out not long after. The sophomore Josh Richardson who replaced him quickly showed his lack of defensive experience.

Chen Xi deliberately made several runs toward the sideline referee, immediately drawing an off-ball foul from Richardson. After doing this twice, Richardson didn't dare to press up anymore.

The loosened officiating immediately freed Chen Xi. By the time he was subbed out at 7 minutes in the second quarter, he had already hit six three-pointers.

Spo was a bit helpless too. The difficulty wasn't Chen Xi's threes, but the spacing value he brought, allowing Westbrook and Oladipo to easily break through the Heat's perimeter defense.

Once Chen Xi left the court, the Thunder immediately reverted to that defensive-rebound-and-transition-offense team.

When Westbrook could perfectly adapt to two tactical strategies and switch between them effortlessly at any time, the Thunder could boast league-first-tier offensive efficiency. When the final buzzer sounded, the Thunder ended the game with a 110-87 score, securing another two-game winning streak.

"6-1! Unbelievable, the Oklahoma Thunder! Who would have thought that after losing Kevin Durant in the summer, they could still put up this record!"

"We have to admit, Westbrook is truly challenging for the best guard position in this league. The Thunder, led by a single star, are tied with the Golden State Warriors for first in the Western Conference! Incredible!"

The Thunder's unexpectedly excellent record sparked a flood of praise online, and of course, praise brought criticism.

"Stop making me laugh. What does the Thunder have to compare with the Warriors? Rely on that Westbrook who guards his own teammates? Haven't you seen his toxic nature after all these years?"

"How many of those 6-1 wins are against top teams in the league? The only direct matchup with the Warriors, they collapsed in two quarters. I don't know what people are hyping."

"Are you talking about the Golden State Warriors who defected to form a superteam?"

"Are you talking about the Warriors who got 73 wins but lost the finals?"

"Black-hearted haters living unhappy lives?"

"Didn't LeBron start the whole superteam thing?"

"Are you talking about that LeBron who promised to bring seven championships to Miami?"

"LeBron has three FMVPs. What about Curry?"

"The FMVP earned by giving up eight points to seize power?"

"Kobe didn't have FMVPs for his first three championships either."

"Is that the Kobe who couldn't win a championship without a top-tier big man?"

"That's still better than some superteam dogs."

"Who can outdo Kobe in forming superteams? Forgot the 04 F4 and 12 F4? Couldn't even win a championship with a superteam. Hilarious."

"Tsk, just a spark and it turns into a war. The foreign internet isn't any different." Chen Xi lay on the bench in the training room, scrolling through social media during his break.

"Don't pay attention to the noise online—that's my advice, Chris. I've seen too many people whose performance was affected by outside voices," the trainer beside him reminded quietly.

"The person you're talking about, is his name Kevin?" The joker was online.

"Uh... that too. He might be more easily influenced." The trainer shot Chen Xi a look. After that signing happened, Kevin Durant's name had become taboo in the Thunder locker room.

"Heh, what are you afraid of? It's just the two of us here, and I'm the new guy this year. No leaks!"

"But what they say online isn't without reason. We really haven't faced any strong teams yet—only the Warriors and the Clippers."

"We're playing the Raptors tomorrow. They're not a weak team. You need to be ready."

"What am I afraid of? I'm just a small role player. The outcome doesn't hinge on me." Chen Xi kept grinning at his phone.

"Don't let Russell hear that, or you're in trouble."

"Him?! Am I afraid of him?! A mere Russell, I can take him down with one hand!"

"Alright, stop clowning. Time's up. Next set."

"Oh... damn! How can bench press be such a disgusting exercise?!!!"

Chen Xi's smug expression was immediately replaced by pain. His face changed faster than a flip—guaranteed.

Time came to November 10th. The Thunder hosted the visiting Toronto Raptors at home.

The Raptors, who had played three consecutive Game 7s last season, ultimately fell to LeBron James' Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year, with no major roster changes, the "Trash Brothers" were back, charging into the playoffs again, vowing revenge against James.

Without a doubt, this was a strong team—and one built around perimeter players. It was time to test the Thunder's true strength!

The team's star player, DeMar DeRozan, was once hailed as the last glory of the classic shooting guard after Kobe retired.

Low-post footwork, back-to-the-basket isolation, turnaround jumpers—in the 2016 NBA, an era dominated by small forwards, it was hard to find another "traditional" shooting guard like him.